Liberia

JSI has been helping to strengthen the health system and health services in Liberia beginning in the late 1980's, first with the USAID-funded ENTERPRISE Project and with the Resources for Child Health (REACH) and, then, after the civil war ended, beginning in 2006, with the Basic Support for Child Survival (BASICS) projects, which brought essential health services to those affected by the country’s civil war.

With funding from USAID and small private foundations, JSI has worked to rebuild Liberia’s post-conflict health system, strengthen the health supply chain, improve the nutritional status of vulnerable populations, and build the capacity of the civil service. All this work is done in partnership and JSI has cultivated a close collaborating relationship with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) in particular.

The USAID flagship health project, Rebuilding Basic Health Services (RBHS), helped strengthen Liberia's health system after the country's 14-year civil war. The project also worked to build the capacity of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare staff at national and county levels. Once the scope of the Ebola epidemic became clear—particularly when healthcare workers began to be severely affected—RBHS redirected to focus all efforts on supporting the ministry’s response to the epidemic. In particular, JSI led infection prevention and control activities for health workers.

Supply chain logistics is a core competency at JSI, and in Liberia the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT has built the in-country capacity to forecast the need for, support of the roll-out of the integrated logistics system’s standard operating procedures (SOPs), trained workers in those procedures, and monitors system performance. Through the project, JSI also set up national distribution systems, while also significantly reducing loss-to-theft. Since the onslaught of Ebola, the DELIVER project has played a coordinating role with other logistics providers, including the CDC and UN agencies, in addition to participating on supply chain committees.

Recognizing the importance of contributing more broadly to the development of human resources in a post-war environment, JSI also implements the privately funded President’s Young Professionals Program (PYPP), which helps fill critical human resource needs across a range of ministries. Launched by H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2009, PYPP is places Liberian college graduates in government roles.

JSI Response to the Ebola Epidemic

JSI has been at the frontlines of the Ebola response every day since June 2014, when RBHS activities shifted entirely to supporting the Liberian government’s response efforts. JSI understands that strengthening a country’s entire health system and engaging and mobilizing affected communities are key strategies for effectively managing large scale, infectious disease epidemics such as Ebola. JSI led IPC activities for health workers as well as provided support to national committees on case management, social mobilization,, logistics, and contact tracing. Having worked on the ground in Liberia for the past decade, JSI was able to collaborate closely with the MOHSW to transition from emergency response to restoration of routine health services.

2. Coordinated and conduct IPC trainings for non-ETU health workers and facility support staff, and maintain the IPC training database; Trained nearly 7,000 health workers, facility support staff, community members, and NGO representatives in IPC between July and December 2014. Our training has allowed hospitals and clinics to reopen.

3. Supported the MOHSW in the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) containing detailed guidance on essential IPC measures for various levels of care (households, community, health centers, community care centers, hospitals).

4. Set up a logistical system for the massive inflow of supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPEs), body bags, IV fluids, etc. including intake and distribution around the country.

5. Strengthened the contact tracing system throughout the country to ensure that accurate data is available on suspected cases, which is helping prevent new cases by ensuring that those exposed do not infect more people.

6. Trained religious leaders—both Christian and Muslim—and traditional healers in accurate information about Ebola, how they can protect themselves, and the steps to take when someone presents symptoms. The training prepares leaders to disseminate accurate information about Ebola to keep their communities safe.

7. Oversaw supportive supervision visits to facilities to ensure adherence to IPC protocols and adequate availability of IPC supplies. Supervision is conducted jointly by supervisors from County Health and Social Welfare Teams (CHSWTs) and District Health and Social Welfare Teams (DHSWTs,) who participated in the trainings, and by JSI staff.

Below, watch "Keep Safe, Keep Serving--Strengthening Infection Prevention in Liberia," a short documentary film about the work of JSI staff to ensure infection prevention and control practices are standardized across the country.

Highlights

JSI is partnering with the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to train health workers in infection prevention and manage the distribution of personal protective equipment.

JSI collaborates with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support service delivery with a focus on family planning, reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, gender-based violence, malaria, HIV prevention, and water and sanitation.